Prior art workers have devised numerous types of anatomical support wraps for application to the foot or hand. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,645,222 describes an ankle and foot support comprising an elongated body portion of flexible, elastic material, narrower at its midsection that at its ends, and with its ends having a particular configuration. To each end of the body portion there is affixed a specially configured end portion which, when joined to the body portion end, forms a substantially concial heel-receiving socket. At least one of the end portions is provided with a fastening means adapted to be engaged with or affixed to the body portion of the wrap once it has been applied to the foot. U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,751 teaches an ankle support constituting an elongated, inelastic body portion, provided at one end with a loop-like structure, again of inelastic material. In one embodiment, the loop-like portion is preformed and permanently affixed to the elongated body portion. In another embodiment, the loop-like portion is formed from a part of the body portion and is held in place by Velcro fastening means. When applied to the ankle, the free end of the body portion is held in place by adhesive tape or other appropriate fastening means.
The ankle supports of the above noted references are exemplary of many, all of which are characterized by the requirement for some sort of fastening means such as ties, straps and buckles, hooks, snaps, Velcro means and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,381,304 teaches a hand guard or grip made of flexible material and adapted to be wrapped about the hand so as to provide a guard or grip portion at the position of the palm of the hand. In this particular instance, the device is provided with perforations at its ends through which selected fingers of the hand extend, to hold the device in place. The structure of this patent, like the ankle supports of the previously mentioned patents, is exemplary of typical prior art single-purpose wraps.
The present invention is based upon the discovery that if an anatomical wrap is made up, comprising an elongated strap-like body portion and a pair of strap-like loop portions (one affixed to each end of the body portion), the resulting structure constitutes a multi-purpose wrap. The wrap may serve as an ankle or arch support, a support for a jammed thumb or as a temporary sling, all as will be described hereinafter. Furthermore, when a portion at least or all of the device is made of elastic material, no additional fastening devices are required. In essence, the device constitutes a one-piece device with means at each of its ends to engage a body portion. These body portion engaging means serve to lock the device in place and at the same time tend to balance out each other when worn on the body. While the device of the present invention may be made in different sizes, it is otherwise universal in that the same structure is applicable to either hand or either foot in any of its uses.